Spring Cleaning - It's Not Just for Your House

Just like spring is the season for cleaning house, it is the ideal season for cleansing the body. Cleansing practices are central to both Ayurveda and yoga. Ayurveda has five cleansing practices, known as pancha karma (“five actions”). Classical yoga has six cleansing practices, called shat kriya (“six techniques”).

Both pancha karma and shat kriya are believed to confer a number of benefits:

Removal of toxins (known as ama in Ayurveda), which can cause a wide variety of symptoms, such as allergies, asthma, immune system dysfunction, joint pain, low energy, and poor digestion.

Balancing the doshas.

Opening channels.

Renewing and rejuvenating the body, believed to aid in longevity.

Cleansing of the emotional and mental spheres, not just the physical body.

Making the body a more appropriate vehicle for the expression of higher consciousness.

Having trained extensively in both pancha karma and shat kriya, I believe in customizing a cleanse protocol for each person. The protocol can include elements of pancha karma and shat kriya, as appropriate for your needs and desires. I also customize herbs to be taken during the cleanse, dietary recommendations, pre-cleanse preparatory procedures (called purva karma), and post-cleanse rejuvenation (rasayana) recommendations.

Although many cleanse formats impose strict, and very restrictive, dietary requirements that can prove depleting or simply defeating, I believe in setting dietary guidelines that are workable for you and will ensure that you have adequate food to be energized throughout the day. I am happy to provide whatever support is needed, from recipes to cooking lessons.

Finally, a cleanse can be tailored to fit the length of time desired, from 4 days to 3+ weeks, and will be primarily in your own home, making it affordable as well as convenient.